There are great beers from all over the world (mind you there are mingin' beers from all over too). A lot of it is down to personal taste a few of my favourites are...
Guinness (obviously)
Michelob (basically premium Budweiser, but imported rather than brewed under license)
Tsingtao (Chinese I think, made from rice, very light and refreshing)
Rolling Rock (another import a "pale ale" very light)
Mc Ewans Export (a lovely mass produced ale, do not mix up with the lager which tastes like piss)
Sapporo (Japanese lager which came in a can with a vacuum to stop it heating quickly in your hand)
Peroni Nastro Azzuro (Italian lager extremely easy to drink)
Staropramen (Czech? I think ??)
Koppaberg Mixed Fruit (or psychotic ribena as we call it)
There are loads of others which I have tried but can't remember the names of but the above are favourites
Where's this thing about the Uk being the "Kingdom of beer" and a "Paradise for Beer drinkers" come from?! WTF?! Yeah, if you want a flat minging watered down pint of lager served from manky old taps and pipes whilst surrounded by punters who will 'chib' you for spilling a little of their beverage, then yeah, the uk is the place for you!
I appreciate the UK is 'famous' for its warm ales and bitters, served to crusty old men with beards and holes in their jumper sleeves, and pub 'seige' mentality, but thats about it.
If you want a nice fresh, crisp, chemical free lager with oodles of head and served the way it is supposed to be enjoyed, in a cafe culture environment where you can truly appreciate it then head to continental Europe. Germany, France, etc.
In Japan, so I heard, they have wine made from rice, called "Sake"
Yes. It's served warm, is extremely potent and made me throw up when I tried it.
The stuff I tried was in a carton, like milk, it was at room temp and was minging, it was only about 17% but tastes much much stronger.
Tsingtao (rice beer) tastes nothing like it, it tastes more like a pale ale or light lager with a very slight taste of rice.
I agree and disagree with Moray, there definately is a "crusty" real ale vibe which runs through the UK, type of guys who wear arran sweaters, big beards and will drink any shite as long as it's obscure and traditional. But it is getting better, a lot of the newer ales are also bottled and while te CAMRA twats will tell you it's not authentic. Bollocks, It's personal taste, drink what you like.
It's the same with whisky snobbery, some people will tell you that you shouldn't add anything to a malt as it spoils the taste. Bollocks, you have paid for it, you are entitled to drink it anyway you like. Malts are all different, from the "peat" tastes of the Islands to the "smooth" tastes of the Speysides, some are gorgeous and some are like parafin. Although something as simple as adding a drop of water can totally change the taste. Personally I love Macallan 18year old with coke.
Oh and Jamieson and Crested Ten are also very good blends, Irish whskies tend to be a lot smoother.
I like my malt with a dash of still water, sake warm with a meal, limoncello and vodka straight from the freezer and red wine slightly chilled (I like my reds on the light side). The old "serve red wine at room temperature" doesn't work any more, as modern houses are usually much too warm for wine (this might not apply in UK). Sicilian reds are served really cold, at least in summer.
Wine is one of the few drinks I'm not a huge fan of... that and Gin. Mind you I have found that the right wine with the right food can be quite enjoyable whereas I've yet to find any Gin that I like.
We also had some interesting drinks at New Year... Unicum (hungarian I think), Absinthe (Czech), Menthol Vodka and Tar Liqueur (both from Finland).
I can't imaging drinking something like beer - anything alike beer - warmer then the temp is in your fridge...ugh...
nope...
And now, I don't wanna try Sake either :)
I don't know where I've heard that (about the UK) anymore - but it's something like general knowledge over here.
The north of Germany is known for it's Pils and bitter beers, whereas Bavaria is known for it's Lager/pale Ale
(Oktoberfest: Good luck with getting in those "good" marquees...We had to be there in the morning(sat) to reserve a place.....It's totally crowded now and full of shitheads...)
France is known for it's wine...and UK...For all the pubs (especially Ireland).
So therefore (as we know from Asterix&Obelix) England is known for the beer, Schottland for the whisky :)
But that's just what we think of you over here...hehe...you guys are aaaaall drunk ;) ...
Wine is one of the few drinks I'm not a huge fan of... that and Gin. Mind you I have found that the right wine with the right food can be quite enjoyable whereas I've yet to find any Gin that I like.
We also had some interesting drinks at New Year... Unicum (hungarian I think), Absinthe (Czech), Menthol Vodka and Tar Liqueur (both from Finland).
Dubz
So you finally drank those bizarre bottles! I bet they gave you a nasty hangover. You should try the popular salty liquorice vodka (I don't like it) now that you already have some experience on Finnish drinks…
Where's this thing about the Uk being the "Kingdom of beer" and a "Paradise for Beer drinkers" come from?! WTF?! Yeah, if you want a flat minging watered down pint of lager served from manky old taps and pipes whilst surrounded by punters who will 'chib' you for spilling a little of their beverage, then yeah, the uk is the place for you!
I appreciate the UK is 'famous' for its warm ales and bitters, served to crusty old men with beards and holes in their jumper sleeves, and pub 'seige' mentality, but thats about it.
If you want a nice fresh, crisp, chemical free lager with oodles of head and served the way it is supposed to be enjoyed, in a cafe culture environment where you can truly appreciate it then head to continental Europe. Germany, France, etc.
I don't drink that much, and I haven't been to the UK, but I agree that European beer is awesome. My personal favorites, and Megg should appreciate this:
And back at home, this is the best:
Pretty artistic pic I took there, eh? (Molson. AKA Hockeytown beer) ;)
When we were on holiday in the Alps, we found this beer in the Supermarche:
"Amsterdam Maximator". 11.6% strength (regular beer is about 4%, premium lager is typically 5 to 5.5%). I think it cost 1euro 50cents per can. It did NOT taste nice.
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